Sexual Abuse Experiences and Dental Care Visits - Challenging!

• Objectives: Victims of sexual abuse are more likely to experience dental fear as well as to suffer from an impaired oral health. Objective. To explicate and describe the persistent psychological and bodily memories of sexual abuse and how it is expressed during the visit to the dentist. Methods: Thirteen participants (11 women) who experienced sexual abuse as children or adults and in whom the abuse experiences were remembered and expressed during a dental appointment, were interviewed. The informants were encouraged to tell in their own words and in as much detail as possible about situations at the dental appointment when they were reminded of the sexual abuse experiences. To provide for as much empirical variation of the participants, some strategic selection criteria were applied; sex, age and class. The interviews were recorded digitally and transcribed verbatim. The collected material was analyzed according to Qualitative Content Analysis. Results: A pattern in the subjects’ experiences was identified and classified into the following theme and categories. The overall theme illustrating the latent content was An echo of sexual abuse transformed into (dys) functional reactions. The first main category covering the manifest content was The inner invisible struggle with two subcategories: (i) the abuse experience mental inscriptions and (ii) the consequences of the dental encounter. The second category was The discernible manifestations with two subcategories: (i) the enigmatic communication and (ii) the bodily expressions. Conclusions: During dental care the same reactions and negative emotions may arise as during abuse occasions. In the context of the abuse these are adequate defense responses, but in the dental clinic they are in a strict sense not adequate. The dental care situation contains both implicit and explicit expressions that are recognizable for dental staff. With knowledge of the pattern and expressions, dental care can provide better treatment and care.

Ämnesord

MEDICIN OCH HÄLSOVETENSKAP  -- Klinisk medicin -- Odontologi (hsv//swe)

MEDICAL AND HEALTH SCIENCES  -- Clinical Medicine -- Dentistry (hsv//eng)

Nyckelord

Sexual abuse

Qualitative research

Dentistry

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